Circular loom



Dec. 7, 1937. F. c. HALE ET Al.

CIRCULAR LOOM Filed July 28, 1956 Patented Dec. 7, 1937 Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIRCULAR LOOM tion of Delaware Application July 28,

1936, Serial No. 92,958

In Great Britain August 31, 1935 6 Claims.

This invention relates to textile machinery, and in particular to circular looms.

The disposition of the warps in a circle makes it impracticable to adopt in circular looms beatup means analogous to' those found in an ordinary rectilinear loom, and in consequence effective beat-up of the inserted weft has been diilicult of accomplishment. However, a very good method of beating up the weft is to carry the shuttles themselves up to the fell of the cloth so that each shuttle presses firmly into the fabric weft laid by the immediately preceding shuttle. A shuttle of this type is described in U. S. Patent No. 2,068,673.

It has now been found that beat-up action of this kind can be improved if each shuttle is arranged to beat-up its own weft, which results in each weft length first being beaten up into the open shed into which it has been inserted by the particular shuttle instead of the beat-up action being delayed until the weft lies in the closed shed formed by the changing of the warp shed in advance of the succeeding shuttle.

According to the invention, therefore, the shuttle base extends rearwardly of the point at which the weft from the shuttle is inserted in the shed, so that the base presses on the weft laid by that shuttle. With advantage the shuttle base is extended rearwardly to a point beyond that at which shedding for the next shuttle commences, so that not merely is the weft pressed firmly into the open shed of its own shuttle, but it is held substantially in the position to which it has been pressed by reason of the rapid changing of the shed as the warps leave the extended shuttle base.

With the provision of a pressing surface on the shuttle base behind the point at which weft is inserted into the shed, the shuttle base itself in advance of this point may or may not have a beat-up action. If it is intended that this part of the shuttle should serve to beat-up the weft of the preceding shuttle to some extent, it may still be advisable to keepthis portion of the shuttle base at a slightly different level from the edge of the extended part of the base so as to allow a greater beat-up action for the extended-base.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation oi?v a'circular loom shuttle in weaving position in the loom;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan of two successive shuttles showing the shedding movement of the warp threads at these shuttles; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on a larger scale of a detail of Fig. l viewed on the line 3 3.

The shuttles I are sup-ported within warp sheds formed by inner and outer sheets 2, 3 by vane by columns 6. The columns 6 are mounted on a ring 1 between which and the warps 2, 3 there is relativel circular motion with respect to the loom axis. Thus, if the ring 'I is driven round the loom by any suitable means (not shown), the shuttles I are driven round the loom above the fell of the fabric 8 at a corresponding rate. Weft wheels 4 carried on rotatable shafts 5 supported 9 is thus drawn from the spool I and laid along the fell of the fabric.

The weft is led through an eye ll in a neck l2 lying between the main base I3 of the shuttle and an extended base I4. From the eye II the weft passes into a groove I5 and so is led to the underside of the rearwardly extending base I4. Pressure is therefore applied bythe shuttle via the base I4 to the weftl actually laid by that particular shuttle.

As is shown in Fig. 2, this pressure is maintained to a point sufficiently far in the rear of the shuttle for the warp threads to have come under the influence of the shedding wheel It associated with the following shuttle. At the fell of the fabric the extended base I4 of the one shuttle prevents the shedding movement of the warp threads for an interval and then, as the relative motion between the shuttles and the warps continues, the warp threads pass clear of the end of the base I4 and snap into position to form the new shed for the following shuttle. The weft is thus held close to the fell of the fabric by the shuttle base until the warps are ready to close sharply over it and hold it in position Ain the fabric.

The main portion I3 of the shuttle base may also serve to have a beat-up action on the weft laid by a preceding shuttle, but need not necessarily reach the same level with respect to the fell of the fabric as does the extended portion I4.

ing a base extending rearwardly of the point at' which weft is `delivered from the shuttle to a point beyond that at which shedding for the next shuttle commences, and which is adapted to beat up the weft into the open shed into which it is laid by the shuttle.

2. A circular loom shuttle having a base which extends both rearwardly and forwardly of the point at which the weft is laid from the shuttle for insertion in the shed, so that a considerable length of the base slides, along the fell and presses on the weft laid by that shuttle, the rearward extension being adapted to beat up the weft into the open shed into which it is laid by said shuttle, and the forward extension being adapted to beat up previously laid weft.

3. A circular loom shuttle having a base which extends both rearwardly and -forwardly of the point at which weft is laid from the shuttle for insertion in the shed, so that a considerable length of said base slides along the fell and presses on the weft laid by that shuttle, the rearward extension being adapted to beat up the weft into the open shed into whiohit is laid by said shuttle, the forward extension being adapted to beat up previously laid weft, a neck in said base and an eye in said neck for the delivery of weft from the shuttle.`

4. A circular loom shuttle having a base which extends both rearwardly and forwardly of the point at which Weit is laid from the shuttle for insertion in the shed, so that a considerable length of said base slides along the fell and presses on the weft laid by that shuttle, the rearward extension being adapted to beat up the weft into the open shed into which it is laid by said'shuttle, the forward extension being adapted to beat up previously laid weft, a neck in said base, an eye in said neck for the delivery of weft from the shuttle, and a groove in said base to lead the weft from said eye to the rearward extending portion of said base.

5. A circular loom provided with means for shedding the warps in connection with each shuttle thereof and a plurality of shuttles each having a base extending both rearwardly and forwardly of the point at which weft is delivered from the shuttle, so that a considerable length of the base slides along the fell and presses on the weft laid by that shuttle, the rearward extension being adapted to beat up the weft into the open shed in which it is laid by the shuttle and the forward extension being adapted to beat up the weft laid by the preceding shuttle.

6. A circular loom according to claim 5, wherein each shuttle base extends rearwardly to a point beyond that at which shedding for the next shuttle commences.

FRANK CORBYN HALE. JAMES RUSSELL YORKE. 

